Chapter Text
Bakugo Katsuki was twenty eight years old, ranked in the top five heroes in Japan, and had been in a committed relationship with Todoroki Shoto for the better part of six years.
He'd survived villain attacks, and his fair share of big arguments with his boyfriend.
So basically, he knew how to handle his shit.
So when he came home early from patrol on a Tuesday afternoon and heard hushed voices in his living room, his first instinct was to mind his own fucking business.
Because that's what a good boyfriend would do.
Todoroki had the day off, which usually meant he'd be sprawled on the couch with a book or meal-prepping enough food to make Bakugo fall in love with him all over again.
Instead, Bakugo caught the tail end of what sounded like a very serious conversation happening in urgent whispers.
He recognized the voices immediately: Deku and Uraraka.
It almost sounded like an intervention, which meant Bakugo was definitely not gonna get involved.
He tried to move quietly down the hallway toward their bedroom, planning to give them privacy. Whatever they were talking about, it clearly wasn't meant for his ears.
He and Todoroki had been together long enough that they'd learned to navigate each other's friendships with minimal territorial bullshit.
If Todoroki needed to talk to his friends without Bakugo hovering, fine. Whatever.
It was probably healthy.
But then Bakugo caught a fragment of Todoroki's voice. "—never wanted kids. So I only have the one option."
Bakugo's hand froze on the bedroom doorknob.
He didn't catch the rest. Uraraka said something in response, her voice too quiet to make out, and then Midoriya chimed in with that earnest tone.
Bakugo forced himself to keep moving, slipping into the bedroom and closing the door as quietly as possible.
Never wanted kids.
The fuck was that about?
I mean, obviously he knew what it was about, but what the fuck for?
Yeah sure, they'd had that conversation.
Back when they were twenty two and barely keeping their heads above water with hero work, when the idea of a future beyond next week felt impossible.
Bakugo had said he didn't want kids. Todoroki had agreed. Or at least, that's what Bakugo remembered.
It had literally been a five minute conversation, tops, and then they'd moved on with their lives.
So why the hell were they talking about it now?
Through the walls, he heard muffled voices continue for another few minutes.
Then he heard the shuffle of people standing, preparing to leave. The front door opened and closed.
Bakugo sat on the edge of their bed, hands clenched into fists on his knees.
It was probably nothing.
Todoroki was probably just… talking shit with his friends.
Hypotheticals. Whatever. There was no reason to assume anything.
His phone buzzed.
A text from Todoroki:
Want me to start dinner after my shower?
Bakugo stared at the message.
Perfectly normal. Perfectly Todoroki.
He typed back:
ok. gonna work out then ill come help
*
Twenty minutes later, Bakugo emerged from the bedroom to find Todoroki already moving around the kitchen.
Todoroki's hair was still damp from the shower, and he was wearing one of Bakugo's old hoodies.
"Hi baby," Todoroki said, smiling at him. "How was patrol?"
"Fine," Bakugo grunted. "You stole my shirt."
"I like how it smells."
Bakugo hummed and watched Todoroki pull ingredients from the fridge—vegetables, rice, miso paste.
The same easy, domestic routine they'd fallen into over the years. Nothing seemed off.
Maybe Bakugo had misheard. Or maybe he was reading into things.
Todoroki always told him he was an overthinker, which was bullshit, first of all.
But he was definitely racking his brain trying to remember when Todoroki's last heat was. Not overthinking it, just... curious.
Bakugo walked over just to stand close enough to press his lips to Todoroki's temple. "I'm gonna grab a shower," he muttered, before heading toward the bathroom.
"Okay," Todoroki called after him. "Dinner'll be ready in thirty."
Bakugo closed the bathroom door behind him and let out a long breath.
He was being paranoid.
Everything was fine.
He turned on the shower, stripped out of his hero uniform, and was about to step under the spray when he noticed something weird in the trash can.
It caught his eye—a small white stick poking out from beneath a crumpled tissue.
His brain registered what it was before his body could react.
A pregnancy test.
Bakugo saw two bright pink lines, clear as fucking day.
He yanked his phone off of the bathroom counter to Google what the fuck those little lines meant.
His vision tunneled in on the answer, and his ears started ringing.
Positive.
Todoroki was pregnant?
The shower ran in the background, steam beginning to fill the room, but all he could do was stare at that little plastic stick.
And then he remembered the piece of the conversation that he'd heard.
—never wanted kids.
*
Bakugo didn't even remember getting in the shower.
One second he was staring at the pregnancy test, and the next he was standing under scalding water, both hands braced against the tile wall, trying to remember how to fucking breathe.
Shoto was pregnant.
Shoto was pregnant.
His Omega.
His partner of six fucking years.
The person he'd built an entire life with—was carrying his kid and hadn't said a goddamn word about it.
Bakugo's Alpha hindbrain was doing somersaults.
Every instinct he'd spent years keeping on a tight leash suddenly surged to the surface, screaming at him to do something.
Protect. Provide. Make sure Todoroki was safe, and comfortable, make sure his pups were taken care of—
Except Todoroki clearly didn't want him to know.
"—never wanted kids. So I only have the one option."
The words hit him like a punch to the gut all over again.
Of course. Of fucking course Todoroki hadn't told him.
Because six years ago, Bakugo had been a twenty two year old goddamn idiot who'd said that he didn't want kids. All because he had a cocky attitude, and thought he had all the time in the world to figure shit out.
And Todoroki—kind, considerate Todoroki—had taken him at his word.
And now his sweet Todoroki was pregnant and scared.
Bakugo punched a fist against the tile.
No.
Fuck that.
He wasn't going to let Todoroki suffer through this, thinking Bakugo didn't want a family.
He just… needed to show him. Prove that he could do this.
That he could be the kind of Alpha Todoroki deserved, the kind of partner who could handle a family and hero work and all of the absolutely fucking terrifying, overwhelming responsibility that came with it.
He needed to be better.
And he needed to do it without spooking Todoroki into thinking Bakugo had somehow found out, because clearly the guy was already stressed enough without adding that to the mix.
Okay.
Okay.
Bakugo could do this.
He could do fucking anything he put his mind to, that much he knew for sure.
He'd figure out what Todoroki needed. He'd show up, and be a world class Alpha, all caring and soft like Midoriya if he had to.
And that way, when Todoroki was ready to tell him, Bakugo would be ready.
He'd be the best goddamn father their kid could ask for.
*
Bakugo made it through dinner on autopilot.
Todoroki had made miso soup and grilled fish, and Bakugo ate without tasting any of it, hyper aware of every move Todoroki made.
Did he seem tired? Was he eating enough?
He'd always been a light eater, but now Bakugo was second-guessing everything.
"You okay?" Todoroki asked at one point, tilting his head in that curious way he did. "Does it taste okay?"
"It's great, babe," Bakugo assured him quickly. "Just thinkin' about work."
Todoroki accepted that with a small nod and went back to his soup.
Bakugo watched him over the rim of his own bowl and felt his heart ache a little.
This man was carrying their baby right now.
He looked the same as always. Calm, and stupid beautiful.
Totally unaware that Bakugo's entire world had just shifted on its axis.
After dinner, Todoroki curled up on the couch with a book, and Bakugo excused himself to their bedroom with his laptop.
And then he went fully fucking feral.
Internet deep diving in every direction.
He started with the basics, like early pregnancy symptoms in Omegas.
Then, stuff like: what do pregnant Omegas need the most?
Then, because he was a completion-ist and couldn't do anything halfway: how to be a good Alpha partner during Omega pregnancy?
Three hours later, Bakugo had seventeen tabs open, a notes app full of bullet points, and a lowkey amount of rage at every website that talked to Alphas like they were idiot children who needed step-by-step instructions on how not to be a fuck up.
But he took notes anyway... because he didn't want to be a fuck up either.
Omegas needed more protein, iron, and folic acid. Calcium for bone development. Limited caffeine—no more than 200mg per day. No raw fish, no deli meat, no soft cheese.
Which like... isn't all cheese soft?
Bakugo pulled up their usual grocery list and started revising it.
Then he looked up physical activity rules. Moderate exercise was fine, but nothing too strenuous. No heavy lifting. Nothing that could risk injury.
Bakugo could dial back their sex life. No problem.
Todoroki was usually pretty passive in bed, always down for whatever Bakugo was down for, so he might not even notice.
However, when Bakugo thought about their usual training sessions, he felt his stomach drop.
Todoroki went hard during training. He'd need to… figure out how to scale that back without making it obvious.
He also learned that an Omega's scent shifted during pregnancy, often becoming sweeter or more complex as their body adjusted to carrying.
Bakugo closed his eyes and tried to remember if he'd noticed anything different about Todoroki's scent lately.
He… couldn't say for sure.
Todoroki always smelled good to him. Like... sexy/delicious, but home-y at the same time.
Fuck, he should've been paying more attention.
He also learned that pregnant Omegas often ran hotter than usual, especially in the first trimester.
Bakugo glanced toward the closed bedroom door.
Todoroki was a goddamn walking thermostat thanks to his Quirk.
How the hell was Bakugo supposed to tell if he was running warm because of pregnancy or because he'd unconsciously activated something internal?
He added monitor apartment temperature to his notes. But still, like... what the fuck.
By the time he finally closed his laptop, it was past midnight. His brain felt like it had been through a blender, but he had a plan.
Sorta.
He'd start small. Adjust their meals. Make sure Todoroki wasn't overexerting himself. Pay attention to his scent.
And maybe—maybe—Todoroki would feel safe enough to tell him soon. Hopefully.
Bakugo stepped out of the bedroom to find Todoroki still on the couch, now dozing off with his book open on his chest.
Bakugo's heart ached for him. He loved that man so much, and would quite literally do anything for him.
He crossed the room quietly and crouched down beside the couch, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from Todoroki's face.
Todoroki was sweet, and beautiful, and he deserved to have a kid if he really wanted one. And Bakugo always made sure he got the things he deserved.
Todoroki's eyes fluttered open. He blinked up at Bakugo, sleepy and soft. "Alpha," he murmured.
"Hey," Bakugo said gently. "Come to bed, Sho-Sho."
"I wanna buy a new lamp."
Bakugo didn't even flinch. "Alright, babe. Anything you want."
Todoroki smiled and reached for him, and Bakugo helped him up, letting Todoroki lean into his side as they walked to the bedroom.
When they were settled under the covers, Todoroki curled into Bakugo's chest, and Bakugo wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close.
He pressed his nose to Todoroki's hair and breathed in.
Todoroki was already muttering something to him. The lamp, again.
Bakugo just hummed, so Todoroki would know he was listening.
"I was thinking warm toned," Todoroki said, like this was urgent. "But brighter than what we have now. My eyes hurt when I try to read out there—"
Bakugo still didn't know why this couldn't wait until morning.
"—and I found one online that comes in three sizes, which I think is unnecessary—"
It is.
"—but the largest one is supposed to light up the whole room." Todoroki shifted against his chest, apparently satisfied with his own conclusion. "Like the sun, almost."
As if Todoroki didn't do that enough already.
Bakugo closed his eyes, and said nothing.
***